“You can tell where a man will go by looking to see where he has been.”
A crafty old sheriff candidate in my Louisiana hometown used that slogan to compare himself to the competition en route to his first election. And it rings true in most applications, including general managers, managers and major league baseball in general.
With Christmas now just a few days away, A.J. Hinch must like his early gifts.
Jeff Luhnow has added three pieces recently — Joe Smith, Hector Rondon and the intriguing Anthony Gose — but has given indications the Astros may expect more activity by the end of the year (that’s next week folks!).
Has it really been only six weeks since the Astros basked in the glory of its first World Series championship? Can’t the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Cubs, Dodgers and others just give a guy a chance to bask in peace? So much for peace on earth, good will toward men!
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.” ~~Melody Beattie.
Hello friends and family. I trust you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!
Disclaimer: To all determined to celebrate the Astros’ world championship through opening day and not consider future payrolls, trade possibilities or other downsides, this blog entry may be hazardous to your sanity or mental health. Proceed to read and interact with the blog community at your own risk.
Hello friends! The Astros played into November for the first time and, as a result, the off-season dates will come a tad quicker for Jeff Luhnow, A.J. Hinch and the players who are wearing a new ring these days.
And, just so you know, opening day is only 140 days away. Hmm, that used to be a number important to Twitter! Okay, nevermind. Pitchers and catchers start reporting, if you are wondering, around February 14.
Yes, the Astros will need to squeeze in a lot of activity with awards, free agents, trade discussions, winter meetings, arbitration, discussions about extensions and more. Here’s a quick calendar if you’d like to keep track of some of these things:
And, to continue the discussion about standing pat or going with what you have, here are a few other thoughts.
Yes, you can make a keen argument to stand pat, or at least reload from within. But do the research. Most winning organizations are the ones who are constantly looking to upgrade.
In 2018, the biggest “upgrade” may come with an extension for Keuchel or Altuve.
And, a couple of other goodies before I let you go.
And some questions for your weekend:
The Astros made it to the top! King of the hill! Top of the heap! Cream of the crop!
Now, to figure out how to stay there! That will be the big question for Jeff Luhnow over the next few off-seasons. You have to go back nearly two decades to find a team that won back-to-back World Series. The Giants, however, won three out of five just a few years back.
Well, here it is. The game for all the marbles. The last game of the major league baseball season. The game that makes you gasp. The game that causes your heart to miss a beat. The game A.J. Hinch can’t miss on. The game that could define a generation of Astros’ teams. The game, well, you get it.
It’s an important game! Beyond important.
CHIPALATTA 